BOYS' SOCCER: Greencastle-Antrim falls short against Gettysburg

GREENCASTLE — No team necessarily wants to hear about 'moral' victories after a loss.

Still, Greencastle-Antrim's 1-0 setback to perennial powerhouse Gettysburg in Tuesday's Mid-Penn Colonial Division boys' soccer game revealed just how far the Blue Devils have come in a matter of three weeks.

Back on Sept. 3, G-A was overwhelmed by the Warriors in the season opener, losing 5-1 and raising understandable concerns.

On Tuesday, no such blowout ever developed, with the Blue Devils making one costly mistake midway through the first half, culminating into the game's only goal.

With 21:10 remaining in the opening period, an attempt to clear a Warriors' entry pass was misplayed by a G-A defender, with the ball rolling to the feet of Gettysburg's Matt Yingling, who put the easy opportunity into the back of the net for a 1-0 Warrior advantage.

Ultimately, the one-goal margin stood, as exceptional defensive play by both sides resulted in 60-plus minutes of scoreless soccer.

"I was really pleased with our defensive effort," G-A coach Scott Gelsinger said. "Of course you want to win, but to hold a team of Gettysburg's caliber to one goal and no real opportunities after that is saying something about how we played."

The Blue Devils were forced to handle constant pressure in their end, with the Warriors displaying skillful possession ability throughout the match.

Despite frequently having to backpedal, the collective effort of Justin Hovey, Damian Sherrill and Ryan Yoder with help from Shawn Keller and Jared Spoonhour kept the Blue Devils within striking distance of the squad currently ranked No. 1 in the District 3-AA power ratings.

Gettysburg (9-1, 7-0 MPC-Colonial) equaled the defensive effort on the other end, relinquishing only one, true scoring chance 17 minutes into the first half.

After slipping past a wall of Warriors, Jacob Kline rocketed a shot toward the upper-left corner of the net, forcing a diving grab by Gettysburg keeper Michael Heeschen to maintain the scoreless tie.

G-A (6-4-1, 4-3 MPC-Colonial) was held without a shot on goal in the second half, with the Warriors maintaining a 6-1 advantage in corners.

"As a team, our effort in the second half might have been the best 40 minutes of soccer we've played all year," Gelsinger said. "It's tough, but it doesn't matter who Gettysburg puts in there, you're going against a very talented group that just isn't going to surrender many chances."

The Blue Devils will look to get back on track Thursday night at home against non-league opponent Biglerville.